The fundies are holding a "Go Back In The Closet And Stay There" event in Anchorage this September, to shame and blame, to throw support to the scandal-ridden Republicans, and to raise money for their ultra-right wing ultra-bigoted social and political agenda.
Last week, I asked how we should respond. The emails are interesting: from "Don't bother - anything we do will just give them more media attention and make their ridiculous claims seem legitimate" to "We should hold a protest at the church followed by a forum to educate the public - a forum by itself will only be attended by those who already support us" and "Protesting a house of worship is disrespectful - let's take the high road and find a better way."
So far, the most popular response in the blog survey is to "educate the media and community with a presentation or forum." We've had two great offers from national groups that help with these kinds of presentations, and do plenty of other good work: GLAAD and Truth Wins Out.
GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) offers information about the "so-called "ex-gay" groups and their discredited de-gayification techniques" and lists suggestions for getting involved. GLAAD offers messaging help and spokesperson training, and helped Oregon's GLBT groups organize an alternative celebration called "Love Welcomes All" when the ex-gay conference came to Portland last summer.
Truth Wins Out's Wayne Besen, a survivor of the ex-gay program (an ex-"ex-gay"), will be speaking at various events in Anchorage on Sept. 9-15.
Meanwhile, Anchorage blogger Celtic Diva reported that the group bringing the de-gaying day also called for a "downpour of Biblical proportions" during Obama's nomination speech at the Democratic Convention. When she learned that the conference (called an "ex-gay" conference but even they admit that they cannot change anyone) will be in Anchorage on September 13th, Celtic Diva posted:
"As mentioned on Bent, Alaska--September is the Mayor's Diversity Month and his next (last) organizing meeting for that is August 21. I have been thinking about Alaska bloggers having a "Bloggers Diversity Week" in September with each day a different diversity issue. I nominate September 13, 2008 GLBT Day!
She later commented that we should do GLBT issues on Friday so the media has access to the posts before the conference on Saturday.
Well, I think that's an excellent idea! I especially like how it uses their negative event to create something positive for us and for Anchorage. I look forward to reading and promoting the other diversity posts throughout the week, and am happy to use Bent Alaska to share our GLBT lives with the wider Anchorage community.
Other ideas?
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